Xiao Yi soared into the sky, flying towards the direction of the mine vein where purple light was shooting into the heavens.
The entire vicinity of the vein was in utter chaos; everyone was stunned by the scene unfolding before their eyes.
Had it not been for the fifty thousand Imperial Guards maintaining order, those thousands of mining masters would have already fled. "What on earth is happening? I, I've been mining for so many years and have never seen such a bizarre sight!"
"Could it be that we've disturbed the Mountain God?"
"We can't mine any further..."
A host of mining masters, filled with sincere fear, knelt on the ground praying for the Mountain God's forgiveness.
Xiao Yi landed at the entrance of the mine, and Shi Yaoqian approached him. "Xiao, our men were working on the mine when it suddenly turned into this. Now, those mining masters dare not enter, fearing they've alarmed the Mountain God and brought down heavenly wrath..."
Xiao Yi shook his head with a wry smile. Ignorance is truly frightening; they had clearly unearthed a vein of elemental stones!
"Wait here, I'm going to explore the depths of this mine!" Xiao Yi's figure flashed, disappearing into the mine.
The mine was filled with elemental energy so dense it was palpable.
The purple radiance was the result of elemental energy in its purest form.
Along with it, the Tungsten Iron in the mine began to slowly transform, becoming superior in quality to how it had been initially.
Xiao Yi descended deeper, reaching five hundred meters underground.
All around him lay purple elemental stones.
Looking as far as the eye could see.
Tens of thousands of low-grade elemental stones, thousands of medium-grade, and even hundreds of high-grade stones lay before him.
What shocked Xiao Yi even more was that at the very depths of the mine, there were precisely ten supreme grade elemental stones.
The elemental stones he had obtained within the Tao Tribulation Realm were not even one-thousandth of what was here!
"Now this is a true fortune!"
Xiao Yi turned into a busy miner, prying out each elemental stone with his Fire Qilin Sword and collecting them into his storage ring.
He busied himself for the better part of the day.
Only then had he collected all of the stones in the mine, by rough count, fifty-one thousand three hundred low-grade, three thousand two hundred twenty-five medium-grade, five hundred twenty-one high-grade, and fifteen supreme grade elemental stones.
These many elemental stones were not only sufficient to enhance his cultivation by several levels.
They could also enable the birth of several more Tao Tribulation Realm experts for the Tianqing Kingdom!
"Acquiring this vein of elemental stones is better than creating thousands of troops and horses!" Xiao Yi took a deep breath.
After excavating these stones, the elemental energy that filled the mine diminished significantly, but even so, mining here and bathing in the residual elemental energy could still prolong life and improve health.
Xiao Yi returned to the surface to see Shi Yaoqian and the group of mining masters, stating solemnly, "Gentlemen, this is not about disturbing the Mountain God, but rather the mine is rich in elemental energy. Bathing in this energy will not only cure your chronic diseases but can also prolong your lives; it poses no threat to your safety!"
He held an extremely high status among the people.
Hearing this, the crowd finally let go of their fears and apprehensions.
The strong miners re-engaged with the development of the vein.
Xiao Yi then called Shi Yaoqian and his three brothers over, giving each of them one thousand low-grade, one hundred medium-grade, and ten high-grade elemental stones, saying, "These stones are enough for you to reach the peak of the Golden Core Realm. Over this period, guard this place, excavate the Tungsten Iron Mine, and send the forged weapons to the capital."
"Thank you, Xiao!" The four brothers were visibly excited.
Xiao Yi waved his hand and said, "I have matters to attend to and must leave for now, so I'm entrusting this place to you!"
"Rest assured, Xiao!" the four of them nodded repeatedly.
Xiao Yi shot up into the sky, disappearing into the horizon.
The capital, Sky Prison.
Ge Zheng, sitting deep within the Sky Prison, suddenly opened his eyes. When he saw Xiao Yi appear before him, Ge Zheng's face changed drastically, ultimately settling into a resigned, bitter smile. "So, I have failed after all? To think, not even he could deal with you!"
Xiao Yi said indifferently, "Who told you I was in the Iron Mountain Range?"
"Do you think this old man would tell you?" Ge Zheng scoffed.
His right arm shattered in response.
With a miserable howl, Ge Zheng glared at Xiao Yi, "You... you dare?"
The left arm shattered.
Ge Zheng screamed hysterically, "I am the current Prime Minister, how dare you treat me this way?"
Lying in a pool of blood like a lump of mud, with beads of cold sweat seeping from his forehead, Xiao Yi's face remained expressionless, "Last chance! If you don't confess, I'll strip you naked and hang you at the city gates, let everyone see what this former Prime Minister looks like..."
An intense contraction filled Ge Zheng's pupils; if he really was stripped and hung at the city gates as Xiao Yi said, his lifetime reputation would be ruined. Clenching his teeth, he closed his eyes, "The Imperial Secretary Teng Yi is my adoptive son..."
"The Imperial Secretary Teng Yi?"
Xiao Yi's eyes narrowed into slits as he turned and walked away.
Ge Zheng found himself surrounded by countless rats, scared to the point that his hair stood on end. The rats, drawn by the scent of blood and no longer deterred by Xiao Yi's presence, swarmed upon him. Crazy gnawing sounds and bloodcurdling screams echoed from the prison...
At the residence of the Imperial Secretary Teng Yi.
Teng Yi sat in his study, humming a tune, "Just waiting for that person to kill Xiao Yi, Tianqing Kingdom will surely fail. Then I can pledge allegiance to the Great Jin Kingdom and definitely rescue my adoptive father..."
An icy voice suddenly rang in his ear, "I'm afraid you no longer have that chance!"
Teng Yi's body shivered, and the brush in his hand dropped to the ground.
His complexion turned deathly pale as he looked in disbelief at the figure of Xiao Yi appearing before him, gulping down saliva, "Xiao... Xiao Yi?"
Teng Yi hastily knelt on the ground, "This subordinate pays his respects to Lord Xiao!"
Xiao Yi said indifferently, "It seems like quite the surprise to you that I'm not dead, doesn't it, Lord Teng?"
"What Lord Xiao is saying, you are the mainstay of Tianqing Kingdom, I pray day and night for your endless longevity..." Teng Yi hurriedly said.
"Endless longevity? You must wish me buried in foreign lands," pausing for a moment, Xiao Yi sneered, "I forgot to tell you, Ge Zheng is dead!"
Teng Yi's body trembled, collapsing to the ground.
The reappearance of Xiao Yi here, didn't it mean his relation with Ge Zheng was exposed?
Kneeling on the ground, Teng Yi's head thudded against the floor, trembling in fear, "Spare me, Lord Xiao, please spare my life..."
"The love between you and your adoptive father is deep, now you can reunite as a family in the Yellow Springs!"
Xiao Yi's palm came crashing down.
This current first rank minister became a pile of broken corpse.
The next morning, servants in Teng Yi's house discovered his body and immediately reported the incident to the court. The response they received was just three icy words: Good that he's dead!